Torus and Keepmoat team up in St Helens
The partners are seeking reserved matters approval for 212 homes within phase one of the Cowley Hill masterplan, which has scope for 1,100 homes along with commercial development.
Architect JDA and planner Nexus lead the professional team on the project, which sits within the outline consent established in 2020 for the redevelopment of part of the former Pilkington glass complex, to the north of St Helens.
Torus’s proposal is 100% affordable, breaking down as 112 social rent homes, 62 shared ownership and 38 right-to-buy.
Torus’ site links existing housing areas to the bottom of the old Pilkington factory complex. Credit: planning documents
Work on the wider masterplan site advanced in 2025 in several ways. Site promoters BXB Land Solutions and Promenade Estates secured a £10m grant for active travel in April from the Liverpool City Region’s sustainable transport settlement, while BXB is funding a north-south road to run through the site.
A 12-month programme of remediation to prepare the way for this link road was started last summer.
Torus acquired its 12-acre plot in January 2024 and is now advancing plans in harness with Keepmoat.
Sitting between housing on one side and former glassworks buildings on the other, the site is made up of vegetation and hardstanding. The site is the southernmost within the masterplan, which breaks down into four development plots.
The reserved matters plans can be seen on St Helens’ planning portal, reference P/2026/0016/RES.
